Apparatus for treating metal



March 27, 1934. B. H. JACOBSON APPARATUS FOR TREATING METAL Filed April 16, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR March 27, 1934. JAOBSQN 1,952,594

APPARATUS FOR TREATING METAL Filed April 16, 1931 ZSheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 27, 1934 APPARATUS FOR TREATING, METAL Bernard H. Jacobson, Charleston, W. Va, assignor to Klipstein Chemical Processes, Inc., Newark,

N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application April 16, 1931, Serial No. 530,632

4 Claims.

This invention relates in general to apparatus for treating metal, and in its more specific aspect it relates to apparatus for the chemical treatment of metals in finely divided form or separate pieces, partly or entirely by the heat of reaction evolved in the chemical treatment of the metal, and for the recovery of an ingot metal,

or a compound of the metal resulting from the an alloy, the heat of reaction with a part of the' metal being sumcient to melt the remainder of the metal so that it may be poured into ingots or molded. The compound produced from the reaction of the gas with a portion of the metal is either vaporized so that it may be collected by condensation or sublimation, or it may be fused and stratified upon the molten metal so that it may be separated and recovered by pouring.

The present application is in part a continuation of my prior application, Serial No. 509,528,

flled January 17, 1931, entitled Method of treating meta The apparatus which forms the subject matter of this application issuitabk for 'carrying' out the method of treating metal, set

forth in said prior application,

The apparatus is susceptible of considerable -variation in design or engineering, and is herein illustrated only to the-extent necessary to fully illustrate the principle of its construction and operation, in order that those skilled in the art may be able to understand and practice the invention.

In the accompanying drawings 1 Figure 1 illustrates in side elevation, with pa in section or broken away, an apparatus which will serve as an example of the principles of construction and operation in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged transverse section on the plane of the line II-II of Figure 1, illustrating the water cooled gas inlet at one end of the reaction and melting drum.

1 Figure 3 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical section through the parts illustrated in Figure 2. Figure 4 is a side elevation of the complete unit illustrated in Eigure 1, with parts broken away,

showing the apparatus in its tilted position, which is the normal position of the apparatus during the progress of the chemical treatment.

Referring more specifically to said drawings,

, 10 indicates the I-beams mounted on legs 11 and 12 and-constituting the bed or base of the apparatus. The legs 11 may be fulcrumed at 13, and the legs '12, may have secured to them a hoisting cable 14 which runs, for example, over a pulley 15, and is connected to a piston 16 opcrating in the compressed air or hydraulic cylinder 1'7, so that the entire unit may readily be tilted on the fulcrum 13 from its horizontal position, illustrated in Figure 1, to its inclined position, illustrated in Figure 4. 1

The reaction drum 18 of sheet or cast iron con struction, lined, if desired, with fire brick or other refractory material, is illustrated as being supported by rollers 19 which run in a peripheral flanged band 20, and a bearing block 21 in which the neck or throat 22 is journaled. The neck 22 constitutes the gas inlet into the reaction drum 18 and is welded to the conical endof the latter. This neck 22 is axially bored at 23 for the delivery of gas into the drum 18, this passageway leading from the chamber 24 in the outer enlarged. end of which is mounted the delivery pipe 25 suitably fitted by means of the adjustable gland '26 to the end of the neck 22. Any suitable valved pipes such. as 27 and 28 for the supply of gas, such as for example chlorine and a liquid such as, for example, bromine, may be provided. The opposite end of the reaction drum 18 is fitted with a vapor discharge pipe 29 with its gland connection 30, this pipe leading, for example, into the condenser 31', which may be of any usual or approved type for the cooling and condensation of the chemical compound, as for example, the

anhydrous aluminuinchloride in the case of the treatment of aluminum or its alloys with chlorine gas.

The inlet and outlet connections at the ends of the reactiondrum 18, with their packing glands, permit of the rotation of the reaction drum while maintaining substantially gas-tight connections.

suitable power supply, such as electric motor 34.

The revolution number imparted to the reaction drum 1% isordinarily quite low, as for example, fourtosixR.P.M.inthecaseottreatingflnely divided metal with chlorine las.

The exothermic reaction which takes place within the reaction drum 18 develops great quantities of heat, particularly at the point where the gas first enters the finely divided metal. In accordance with the present invention, the neck 22 is constructed with a view to admitting cooling water through the interior thereof during the ro-' tation of the drum, and at such other time as may be desired. An example of a construction for the cooling of the neck 22 is illustrated on an enlarged scale in Figures 2 and 3. Referring to these figures, it will be seen that the neck 22 has an interior annular water chamber 35, which extends around the gas inlet passage 23 from a point or line about equidistant from the inner end of the neck 22 and the saidgas inlet passage 23, where the exposure to heat is most severe. This annular chamber 35 may, for example, be lathe-turned and afterward closed at the periphery by a perforated ring 36 which may be sectional or in any other form admitting of its being placed in position, after which it may be welded to the neck 22-, as illustrated in Figure 3. Rings or flanges 37 and 38 are secured on the outer periphery of neck 22, and between them are mounted at suitable intervals radial partitions 39 so as to form comparments which are outwardly open and communicate through the perforations in the ring 36 with the annular water chamber 35 within the neck 22. A water delivery pipe 40, flexibly connected with a supply line, is mounted above the water box thus constituted, so as to deliver a stream of cooling water into the successive compartments as the drum rotates. The water thus delivered into the uppermost compartment flows through the perforations in the ring 36 and into the annular water chamber 35, from which it drains through the perforations leading outward- 1y through the lower compartment.

The reaction drum 18 is provided with a filling manhole 41 normally closed by the plug or cover 42, and a pouring outlet 43 normally closed by the plug or cover 44. The design and dimensions of the reaction drum18 are such that it will hold a charge of finely divided metal which will be sufficient by reaction to produce a sufiicient volume of molten metal to provide a pool, which will cover the gas inlet 23 when the reaction is completed with the drum in its tilted position, as illustrated in Figure 4. In this way the gas delivered into the reaction drum will encounter the finely divided metal throughout the. entire treatment, until only molten metal remains. The conical shape of the gas inlet end of the drum is advantageous in reducing the volume of molten metal required to bring the level of the pool up to or slightly above the gas inlet with a given inclination of the axis of rotation. I

A typical operation of the apparatus as employed, for example, in the production of ingot aluminum and anhydrous aluminum chloride, is as follows, assuming a drum of the form illustrated, in which the overall length is, say, '7' 6" and the cylindrical diameter 3':-1800 pounds of-metal made up of 1650 pounds of grindings of aluminum copper alloy, and 150 pounds of pure scrap aluminum are charged into the furnace through the manhole 41, with the apparatus in 'horizontal position, as shown in Figure 1. The

cooling water is turned on, and the-rotation of the drum started. Bromine liquid may then be introduced through the pipe 28, with the valve in pipe 27 closed, so that this liquid bromine will fiow through the gas inlet 23 into the finely divided metal within the drum 18. The contact of bromine with aluminum is accompanied by a strongly exothermic reaction producing aluminum bromide and highly heating the metal in the immediate vicinity. After about 2 pounds of liquid bromine have been thus introduced, the valve in pipe 28 may be closed and chlorine gas admitted through pipe 2'7, from which it will pass through the gas inlet 23 into the reaction drum, encountering the highly heated finely divided metal and bromide in the vicinity of the gas inlet. The entire unit may at this stage be raised into the position illustrated in Figure 4. Chlorine gas will react with the bromide and the metal,

continuing to evolve heat from the exothermic reaction both in the replacement of the bromine from the bromide and in the conversion of the metal into chloride of aluminum. As the reaction progresses during the continuance of the supply of chlorine gas, the entire contents of the drum becomes hotter and hotter, the anhydrous chloride of aluminum being volatilized and passing out through the pipe 29 into the condenser 30, where it may be collected in well-known manner. The temperature of the remaining metal continues to rise due to the exothermic heat of reaction, until by the time 600 pounds of chlorine gas has been introduced, the remaining metal will all be in a state offusion, forming a pool of molten metal at the lower end of the drum, as illustrated in Figure 4, this pool just covering the gas inlet. After the metal has been melted and heated to a point well above the fusion temperature, the rotation of the drum may be discontinued and the entire unit lowered to a point suflicient tobring the level of the molten metal below the gas inlet, in preparation for shutting off the chlorine supply and pouring the molten metal, or the supply of chlorine gas may be continued while the plug 44 is removed from the pouring opening 43, the rotation of the drum being in any case arrested with this pouring outlet downward, as illustrated in the drawings. The metal may be poured directly into ingot molds, or run into a suitable refractory container 45, from which it may be drawn oif prior to solidification. After pouring all the molten metal, the drum can be lowered into horizontal position and cleaned through the manhole 41. In the example given, a typical recovery is about 1500 pounds of ingot metal, about 750 pounds of anhydrous aluminum chloride, with 1 a residue of about 115 pounds of indeterminate composition made up largely of dirt and metallic particles, depending on the source of the raw materially orginally charged into the drum.

The inclination of the drum is not only of importance in forming the pool of molten metal at the lower end of the drum and preventing the chlorine gas from passing through the drum without passing through the metal charge. The agitation effected by the rotation is much more thorough when the axis is'inclined, since the rotation thus tends to continually feed the charge toward the lower end of the drum, in addition to turning it over and over transversely of the drum axis.

The above example is merely illustrative of one of the important uses for which the apparatus is designed. The principles of construction and operation are susceptible of quite varied application, and the details of construction and use can readily be adapted to suit the requirements of particular metals and gases other than those expressly mentioned. For example, the condenser 31' may be water cooled, if necessary in a given case, and where the condensate is a liquid it may be drained into suitable containers, in accordance with well understood practice. The separation of two liquids, such as molten zinc and zinc chloride, or molten magnesium and magnesium chloride, obtained by chlorination of zinc or magnesium in the apparatus, may be'acomplished by separately discharging the two layers after the contents of the drum have been discharged into the container 45.

The apparatus can also be used to advantage in the chlorination of antimony in the following manner:

Charge 500 pounds of metallic antimony, preferably in small pieces, and approximatelyjoo pounds of antimony trichloride into the rotary reaction drum through the manhead and then close the manhead. Incline the drum on its axis and turn the cooling water on the chlorine inlet. Turn the chlorine valve on and allow chlorine gas to run into the reaction .vessel through the water cooled inlet. The chlorine will immediately react with the antimony trichloride to form antimony pentachloride, which in turn will react with the antimony to form antimony t r ic h l o ri d e.

The net eflect is, therefore, one of continuous chlorination of the antimony. The heat of the reaction is suflicient to volatilize the antimony trichloride formed, which will be evolved through the vent and condensed in a water cooled condenser, the water in which should be kept at about 95. The chlorine should be admitted to the reactor at such a rate asto liberate heat inand foreign material which may accumulate in the reactor.

. one of the great clifliculties in the chlorination of metals by chlorine gas has been the atpractically eeases'after it has extended a short way back into the neck 22.

1. Apparatus for treating metal, comprising in combination a rotary drum adapted to contain metal in separate pieces, means for rotating said drum, and an axially disposed 'neck at one end of said drum having a passageway for introducing a fluid into the contents of the drum for exothermic reaction therewith, said neck having radial passages for supplying anddischarging a cooling fluid to and from the same during the continued rotation of the drum.

2. Apparatus for treating metal, comprising in combination a rotary drum adapted to contain metal in separate pieces, means for rotating said drum, and an axially disposed neck at one end of said' drum having a passageway for introducing a fluid into the contents of the drum for exothermic reaction therewith, said neck having an interior annular cooling chamber surrounding said fluid passage, and radial compartments outwardly open to receive a cooling liquid and comconical end wall, means for tilting said drum into an inclined position'with saidconical 'endwall lowermost, and means for rotating said drum in said inclined position. a v

4. Apparatus for treating metal, comprising in combination a generally cylindrical drum having a conical end, a gas inlet at said conical end a vapor outlet at the other end of said drum, means for supporting said drum for rotation on an in- 320 clined axis with the conical endlower than the other end, and means for rotating said drum in such inclined position.

BERNARD H. JACOBS/ON. 

